Overview
- MQM-P met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and, according to party sources, secured assurance that its local‑government proposals will be written into the package, with PPP also holding detailed talks.
- Ruling parties instructed their lawmakers to remain in the capital until approval, and local reports say the federal cabinet could clear the draft for tabling as early as Friday, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif maintains it is not yet final.
- PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan labeled the initiative a danger to the federation and pledged to resist any rollback of provincial powers, a stance echoed by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
- Legal and security steps escalated as an Islamabad anti‑terrorism court issued non‑bailable warrants for several PTI leaders, Punjab’s cabinet ratified the ban on TLP, and Balochistan imposed Section 144 restricting gatherings.
- Parallel to the constitutional drive, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb outlined a rightsizing and privatization plan to merge 39 ministries and sell 24 state entities, with PIA targeted for completion by year‑end.